Whoa Mama Wednesday- Leslie Alba

Do you ever think of your friends as animals? You know, like Zach is a fox or Lauren’s a lion or Boone is a dog? I have a friend that reminds me of a butterfly. If you’ve ever watched one of those PBS specials about the life cycle of a butterfly, you know they come from caterpillars. At some point in their life, they decide it’s time to do work and they get all spun up in the cocoon and from the outside, it looks like they take a long nap. Being a well-educated adult, you now know that they are, in fact, transforming. The thing is, no one really notices how hard the little guy is working until he comes out as every child’s favorite winged creature. That’s why Leslie Marie Alba reminds me of a butterfly.

If you look at Les you see style, creativity and passion. What you don’t see is what is going on internally. After walking closely with our glittery butterfly for years now, I feel compelled to give you a little peek into the cocoon from my point of view. Mostly because, like the butterfly, it’s what’s going on below the surface that is the true miracle.

Leslie’s ever-morphing nature may be seen in a plethora of ways. For instance, she’s gone from tie-dye to Anna Sui in only a few short years. But, underneath the fabulous clothes, Les is a deep thinker. She contemplates how to bring the beauty of God into every part of life. She deliberates over the perfect way to celebrate her friends and family. And, while that may seem that like enough to consider, she’s also got dreams galore bouncing around her cropped-fringe, capped noggin. With all that thinking comes a lot of questions and Les is a great question asker. I think it’s her questions that most often show off her genuine humility. She keeps herself open to input, correction and wisdom from others. In keeping with the other invited change-agents, Les presses into challenges. As long as I’ve known her she’s fought for a way to get to the heart of every trial in her life to see how it can make her better. And though I’d never try to make you think she hasn’t made mistakes along the way, every time she has made her way back to the center where it’s her and Jesus in the cocoon. She believes in her core that He is after her highest good and won’t give up until she gets it. Her heart is tethered to one thing that always gives her life.

That’s probably what makes life with Leslie enjoyable. Even though she’s constantly changing, it’s in a peaceful way because she looks more and more like the beauty that she was created to be. I think if she really were a butterfly, her metamorphosis wouldn’t be complete until she turned into a bird. Leslie is made for the highest heights and her wings are getting stronger day by day.

Leslie, I salute you!